Method of making boots and shoes



July 12, 193s. H, GILBERT 2,123,567

METHOD OF MAKING BOOTS AND SHOES Filed DeC. 17, 1935 /W/ Y? a@ '14 ya@52 je) Patented July 12, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to boots and shoes and method of making same, theobject of the invention being to provide a boot or shoe of simple,serviceable and inexpensive construction and also to provide a simpleand inexpensive method of making the same whereby the cost of productionand the equipment or machinery required for its production as well, arereduced to a minimum.

To these ends I have provided a new boot or shoe having a bottomstructure comprising three superposed soles including an intermediatesole whose marginal portion is secured to the lower marginal portion ofthe upper andv which is divided vertically and longitudinally from toeto heel; an innersole to which the longitudinally divided intermediatesole is cemented or otherwise fastened, and an outersole that isfastened by stitches, cement or the like to the intermediatelongitudinally divided sole. t

As will appear later this construction greatly simplifies production andmakes it possible to dispense with considerable machinery in theproduction of several different types of shoes having the peculiaritiesof construction just described and it is possible, but optional, tofurther materially reduce the cost of production by utilizing twoseparate strips of leather for the intermediate sole.

Other features of my invention including the new method referred toabove are hereinafter pointed out.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a partially made welt type of shoeconstructed in accordance with 35 this invention.

50 an upper IU which may, as shown, include a4 lining. Between these twoparts may be arranged the usual counter, not shown, fastened in positionby stitches and cement as usual.

As shown in Fig. 2 the lower marginal portion 55 of the upper IIIthroughout the circuit thereof is turned inwardly and fastened bystitches I4 to the marginal portion of a longitudinally dividedintermediate sole I5 at suiiicient distance fromthe edgev of the latterto leave a projecting marginal welt portion I5c extending all the way 5around the shoe and which may be fastened by stitches I6 to the marginalportion of an outersole I'I. Or if it is desired to omit the stitches I6the outersole I 'I may be cemented to the intermediate sole I5, or itmay be both cemented 10 and stitched.

Upon the inner faces of the intermediate sole I5 and the inturnedmarginal portions of the upper is cemented or otherwise fastened aninnersole` I8. l5

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated one form of intermediate sole which, asshown, may consist of two separate side strips I 5a of leather disposedside by side when in the shoe, each of said strips being preferably madewith an outwardly bowed 20 inner'redge and with an outer edge which may,as shown, `conform roughly to the curvature of its side of the shoe whenthe latter is nished. The bowed shape of the inner edge of each stripis, however, not essential althoughit is advan- 25 tageous when thelasting operation isperformed as presently described.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated another form of leather intermediate solehaving side strips I5a which are,V produced by slitting the sole-shaped30 blank longitudinally as at I8 withoutcompletely dividing the blankinto two separatev parts. Preferably, the slit I8 is bifurcated at itsopposite ends so that it can be opened wider than would be the case witha slit that was straight from end to end. This is found advantageouswhile stitching the upper to the opposite sides of the intermediate solewhich is accomplished by means of a post sewing machine or the likesince it allows both the upper and the intermediate sole 4.0 to be heldatwise on the work-support of the machine as the row of stitches I4,Figs. 1 and 2, is produced. It will be clear also, that the opening slitI8, permits the sewing mechanism to extend therethrough during thissewing operation if desired in addition to rendering the structuredesirably flexible at this point in the process of making the shoe.

When a counter is included in the shoe the outer leather or the like ofthe upper is first stitched toy the intermediate sole leaving the liningloose at the heel of the shoe after which the counter is placed inposition between outer leather and lining with cement and then thelining and the flange of the counter may be stitched to the intermediatesole by means of a post sewing machine.

The important steps involved in the preferred process by which the shoeillustrated in Fig. 1 is made are that the bottom marginal portion ofthe upper is first sewed or otherwise fastened to the outer marginalportion of an intermediate sole that is divided longitudinally from toeto heel as shown, for example, in Figs. 3 and 4; then the upper with theattached intermediate sole is lasted, preferably by hand but otherwiseif desired, onto a last L, supporting an innersole to which latter theopposite side strips Iarof the intermediate sole are attached by cement,or otherwise if desired, after being drawn together as far as permittedby the last, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and then the outersole isfastened in position upon the outer side of the intermediate sole asshown, for example, in Fig. 2.

The welt type of shoe illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is strong and durableand its construction permits of its being produced by the abovedescribed method which dispenses with the use of the pulling-overmachine heretofore required; which dispenses with the use of. the twokinds of lasting machines heretofore required, and which dispenses withthe use of a welt stitcher such as has heretofore been required.

In producing the type of shoe illustrated in Fig. 7 the stitches I6 areemployed as shown to secure a welt strip 24 in position upon themarginal portions of the intermediate sole. This construction alsodispenses with the use of lasting machines.

In making the above shoes the marginal portion of the upper, whose Vampis made shorter than the soles of the shoe, is sewed to the intermediatesole I5 as described, but since; the vamp of the upper has no toe of itsown the line of stitches I4 starts at one side of the forward end of theupper and is carried around the rear part of the shoe to the oppositeside of said forward end. Then the shoe is drawn on to a last and amolded toe cap 20 having a toe stiffener 2I cemented therein is slippedon to the toe of the last with its rear portion overlying the vamp ofthe upper to which it is cemented. After the cement has set the last isremoved and the rear portion of the toe cap further secured in place bytransverse lines of stitches 22 sewed by a cylinder sewing machine.

The intermediate sole I5 is sewed to the outer leather of the upperindependently of the lining so that the counter of the shoe may now beinstalled between the outer leather and lining as described inconnection with Fig. 1.

The inwardly extending flange of the toe cap is now cemented to theintermediate sole after which the stitches I4 are continued around thetoe to further fasten the toe cap to the intermediate sole I5.Thereafter the shoe is lasted by hand as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6,the side strips I5a of the intermediate sole being at this point drawnover on to an innersole I8 (not shown in Fig. 1) to which they arecemented, and lastly, the shoe is completed by applying the outersoleI'I and heel 23 as indicated by dotted lines.

From the above description it will be seen that my invention providesfor the production economically, expeditiously and accurately of weltshoes, flexible turned shoes with cemented outersoles and exible turnedMcKay stitched shoes, and that a great deal of the machinery heretoforerequired is entirely dispensed with.

It is also a fact that when the form of. intermediate sole illustratedin Fig. 3 is employed in making mens welt shoes a comparatively greatsaving in cost can be effected because of the fact that they can be madeup of small scrap parts which heretofore could not be used for soleleather because of their small size. In the larger sizes the saving withthis kind of sole will be at least four to six cents a pair.

What I claim is:

The method of, making a boot or shoe which consists in fastening theinturned lower marginal portion of a toe-less upper, while the latter isunsupported from within, directly to the top or inner side of themarginal portion of an intermediate sole, said fastening extending froma point at one side of the forepart near the toe rearwardly around theheel and thence forwardly along the opposite side of the upper to apoint near the toe; then inserting a last within the upper; thenapplying a flanged toe-cap to the toe of the last and fastening the rearend thereof to the forward end of the upper; then removing the last;then fastening the toe portion of the intermediate sole to the flange ofthe toe-cap, and then fastening an outersole to the intermediate sole.

LEWIS H. GILBERT.

